Ford needs a premium luxury car to compete with the Europeans (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and others)

[2b2]

^ imho a LincStang (maybe as a CoupeCabrio/'hardvert only) and a LincStang sedan (near 3 series size) would be excellent additions

 

possibly a 2-seater supercoupe too?

[NickF1011]

Lexus is Toyota outside of North America.

 

I could be wrong but I thought I read that the LS was built on the Century platform.

 

Lexus is now a stand-alone luxury brand in several other non-NA markets, including Japan.

[NickF1011]

Mustangs can't be sold in Europe in mass. To be sold in Europe a car's rear turn signals must be amber. That means giving up the sequential reds we love so much.

 

Honestly, that would be one of the easier things to fix on it before it could be sold there. More importantly, I doubt the Mustang meets European pedestrian compatibility standards, which would require a whole heck of a lot more than changing light colors and a wiring harness.

[mettech]

If they can build the cars, so can Ford.

 

 

[NickF1011]

If they can build the cars, so can Ford.

 

It's not a question of can. It's a question of should. Should Ford spend resources on a vehicle such as one of the above when there are still several more pressing issues facing them as a company?

 

(Side note: we've been waiting for about a decade for that Lexus to finally hit showrooms.)

[mettech]

It's not a question of can. It's a question of should. Should Ford spend resources on a vehicle such as one of the above when there are still several more pressing issues facing them as a company?

 

(Side note: we've been waiting for about a decade for that Lexus to finally hit showrooms.)

 

 

Agree..

 

Now if Lincoln would build a car like the R8.... that would be the talk of the town and a huge show room draw.

 

The forum here would look like "a tree full of monkeys jacking off."

 

 

My question about Lincoln is, "What car companies is Lincoln competing against?"

 

Buick?

 

Hyundai Genesis?

 

What customer does Lincoln aspire to sale to?

 

 

I say that Mercury should be the Genesis and Buick group, and Lincoln should be the BMW, Audi, M-B, Cadillac group.

 

 

And one more thing.... .... The Fisker Karma was the big hit for me at the Chicago Auto Show. It may never go into production and may end up like " Tucker", but that is one bad ass, high tech car.

 

Edited February 17, 2010 by mettech

[NickF1011]

I say that Mercury should be the Genesis and Buick group, and Lincoln should be the BMW, Audi, M-B, Cadillac group.

 

There's the tried-and-failed GM model of "Insert-Brand-Here-Fighter". Lincoln doesn't need to be a "BMW-fighter" or a "Cadillac-fighter". Lincoln certainly doesn't need a vehicle like the R8. Would it bring people into showrooms? Yeah, perhaps to drool on a vehicle that they don't plan on buying. But the whole "halo car" concept has pretty much been shown to do nothing. Did the Ford GT tangibly increase the sales of any other Ford models that shared a showroom with it? I doubt it. Lincoln needs to keep improving the vehicles it has. Perhaps offer a coupe/convertible in the $40-50K range, and then maybe a higher tier sedan above the MKS. Beyond that, they are doing close to what they need to do: better each vehicle with every refresh. Throwing a supercar out there isn't going to do anything for the rest of the brand.

[rmc523]

If they can build the cars, so can Ford.

 

 

 

Ford did:

[NickF1011]

Ford did:

 

And it boosted Five Hundred sales through the roof as a result of the increased showroom traffic! Oh wait.

[rmc523]

And it boosted Five Hundred sales through the roof as a result of the increased showroom traffic! Oh wait.

 

 

Freestyle sales too!

[mustang6172]

^ imho a LincStang (maybe as a CoupeCabrio/'hardvert only) and a LincStang sedan (near 3 series size) would be excellent additions

 

possibly a 2-seater supercoupe too?

 

Mustang's D2C chassic could make an acceptable 30-45K 2 seater, but the chassis has some limitations to overcome. A good sportscar needs 4-wheel independent suspsension; not a live axle rear with MacPherson struts in the front.

 

A proper sportscar needs a much more elaborate chassis. That's pretty expensive to develope.

[NickF1011]

A good sportscar needs 4-wheel independent suspsension; not a live axle rear with MacPherson struts in the front.

 

BMW has been getting by fine with MacPherson struts for decades. In fact, they are probably considered the "sportiest" of the luxury brands while using that setup.

Edited February 27, 2010 by NickF1011

[jpd80]

Had a thought, mid engined sports car with transversely mounted Ecoboost V6.

Getting an affordable power train is half the battle....

[ausrutherford]

Had a thought, mid engined sports car with transversely mounted Ecoboost V6.

Getting an affordable power train is half the battle....

 

Ford did that with Roush (or was it Saleen) in the 80s...save with a V8 (that the car the got it later, the SHO, is now a EB V6)...so maybe they could go back and do that, save with a Lincoln badge instead of a Ford's. Audi R4 anyone?

[2b2]

Had a thought, mid engined sports car with transversely mounted Ecoboost V6.

Getting an affordable power train is half the battle....

that's an interesting idea, Jpd - wonder if the GRwdP could work as a basis?

 

I was thinking more of something like the GR-1 - with the 4.0 inline-6 and a bonnet/hood sorta-semi shrink-wrapped around it to let you know what's underneath (n.a. & EB of course)

 

btw, Jpd

is it true that most Aussies accept that the inline-6's fate is sealed and won't make it past EuroV to EuroVI certification?

I have trouble believing Fomoco will walk away from such a stellar-&-unique engine like that.

Edited March 8, 2010 by 2b2